Strawberries
Raspberries
Handy links
Coming events 

Strawberries:  Strawberry harvest continues to begin slowly.  In Norfolk and Elgin counties growers are harvesting the first fields of early varieties on matted rows. The first Ontario berries are being featured in local grocery stores. Be sure to focus on appearance of fruit after harvest. Teach your pickers to prevent bruising of the fruit. Be careful that lids applied to the quarts do not squash the berries in the box. Traceability systems are valuable not only for food safety but also as a way to improve post harvest quality by identifying workers who need to harvest more carefully. Funding is available to help you adopt traceback technology for your farm. Contact me if you need examples of how this could be done. 

Strawberry pests to watch for:  

• Tarnished plant bug may still be a problem in later varieties and in later areas. Watch the days to harvest intervals.  
• Aphids in new plantings. These are usually not a problem. Thiodan and Malathion are labeled for aphids on new strawberry plantings.   
• Common leaf spot on Mira and Kent. Sometimes a special spray of Topas is warranted for this disease, which tends to be worse in the eastern and northern growing areas of Ontario. Topas has no activity on Botrytis.  
• Powdery mildew on Seascape. A weekly program of Pristine, Pristine, Nova, as soon as symptoms are noticed, should control this disease. Nova does not control Botrytis or anthracnose and is commonly tank mixed with captan or maestro.  
• Slugs in fruiting fields. Wet weather and heavy straw are ideal for these nasties. Sluggo (iron phosphate) can be applied for slug control before harvest; however, at this point it should not be broadcast, but applied selectively to problem areas.  
• Green petal: This virus-like disease has been reported again in variety V151. The symptoms show up in the bloom which is very green and leafy. The disease is spread from clover and alfalfa to strawberries by the aster leafhopper. We are interested in hearing about the disease if it shows up on your farm. Plough under infested fields or patches. There is nothing to spray for this one.  
• Angular leaf spot: Nothing to do at this point.  

Green petal disease symptoms on strawberry bloom

Weed control in new plantings:  The window for post-emergent weed control is only open for 2-6 weeks after planting. 2,4-D AMINE provides post-emergence weed control, but apply when weeds are small and before the plants have runners. 

Grass herbicides can also be applied 2-6 weeks after planting, where grasses are a problem. These herbicides are very safe to strawberry plants, be sure to apply at the appropriate timing for grasses, generally the 2-5 leaf stage for grains and grasses, and the 3 leaf stage for quackgrass. Check the label. 

Using pre-emergent herbicides in new plantings is tricky and should be avoided when runners are rooting. Sinbar should not be used in sequence with 2,4D or grass herbicides. 

Field pansy is a problem weed for strawberry growers. This weed loves the weather this year. It produces millions of seeds and germinates continuously when weather is cool and damp.  To control field pansy you need a series of herbicide applications such as Sinbar in late August or Labour Day, and Goal before mulching in the winter.  Purchasing clean straw and clean plants are also important ways to keep field pansy in control.  

Raspberries:  Bloom is a critical time to control both Botrytis grey mould and cane diseases. Be sure to get good coverage of both fruit and lower canes. Nova and Titan are very susceptible to cane botrytis. Consider the newer, broad-spectrum fungicides such as Pristine or Switch in rotation with some of the old stand-bys such as Captan or Maestro. 

Raspberry cane borer is showing up in early areas. Admire (3 days to harvest) is newly labelled for this pest but should not be used when any bloom is present.  Meanwhile, break off the primocane tips that are damaged by cane borer. 

Rose chafers have arrived, and Japanese beetles will no doubt emerge in a week or so.  These beetles feed voraciously on foliage of raspberries.  These beetles are easy to control but days to harvest intervals are an issue.  It is best to control Japanese beetles early, when you see the first ones.  You can use Malathion for rose chafer (phi = 1 day on raspberries) and Sevin for Japanese beetles (phi = 11 days on raspberries), but either insecticide will control both pests.  

Rose chafers and damage on raspberry foliage

Growers have been reporting problems with Malathion 25W plugging nozzles and screens. Use lots of water and agitation when mixing this product. Fewer problems occur with liquid formulations. Some but not all liquid formulations of Malathion are labeled for both strawberries and raspberries, so check the label. We once associated EC formulations with a higher risk of phytotoxicity. These products have become safer in recent years, but avoid application in hot weather.  

Pruning black raspberries and blackberries: 

Black raspberries respond well to summer tipping, because more fruit is produced on laterals than on the main cane. By pinching out new growth when canes are approx 3 feet high, you can stimulate lateral branching. Remove about 4 inches, just above a bud. Your trellis needs to be set up for this however, because the long laterals which will result from tipping will need support. Cane blight can be a problem on injured canes so avoid summer tipping in rainy weather. 

Thorny and thornless varieties of blackberries require slightly different strategies. Thorny varieties of blackberries should be pinched when they are 3-4 feet high to stimulate lateral branching. Thornless varieties will branch naturally in the third and subsequent years and can be trained along a high trellis system. Pinching is not necessary but can help to keep the plants low and more likely to be protected by snow in winter (reducing winter injury). See link below for details on blackberry management. 

FEEDBACK: if you have questions or comments about this information, questions or suggestions for the next bulletin, please contact me. 519-426-2238 or pam.fisher@ontario.ca

Bramble Production Systems: (pruning and trellising suggestions for all types of raspberries and blackberries)   http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/Berries/bramblehtml/raspprodsyst.htm

New York Berry Newsletter:  June issue includes information root weevils, angular leaf spot, blueberries, high tunnels and runner management, in strawberries http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pp/extension/tfabp/newslett/nybn86b.pdf

Coming Events

July 8 and 9, 2009 - Southwest Crop Diagnostic Days, Ridgetown   http://www.diagnosticdays.ca/

NEW July 23 (to be confirmed) 2009: Day neutral and plasticulture strawberry production. Meet with researchers John Zandstra and Rob Nurse and visit their trials at the Cedar Springs Research Station, near Blenheim. For more information call Pam Fisher 519-426-2238. 

August 11-12, 2009 - North American Strawberry Growers Association Summer Tour, in the Chicago area. For more information visit www.nasga.org or contact Kevin Schooley at info@nasga.org or 613-258-4587.

August 18, 2009. Simcoe Vegetable and Alternative Crop Open House, 1:30 pm. For information: 519-426-7127 Ext. 323 or visit http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/conferences/20090818.htm

September 16, 2009  Ontario Berry Growers’ Association season wrap-up and farm tour: Whittamores Farm, Markham. Contact Kevin Schooley,   kconsult@allstream.net, 613-238-4587.